The Ministry of Interior has shuttered 33 of 255 registered private security companies after they became inactive and declared bankruptcy.

Lim Sokha Rasmey, the director of the National Police’s Department of Private Security Management, told The Post on Monday that the closure of the 33 firms was done according to legal procedures.

“Because a sub-decree on Private Security Management dictates that a private security management company provides security services, social protection and order. If it becomes inactive, we delete its name.

“Most of the companies we have deleted from the list were local ones, not international companies,” he said.

Rasmey said private security companies had played a crucial role in maintaining security and order and protecting the lives of people. The interior ministry, he said, considers them a backup force for authorities and the National Police in tackling offences in localities.

Rasmey said the ministry has also provided training for private security agents in every aspect of the job including their roles, duties and obligations.

“We brief them on their obligations. We make them aware that they are only private security agents and not authorities, so when confronting offenders they can only collaborate by handing the perpetrators over to authorities,” he said.

Rasmey said there are currently 255 private security companies with nearly 30,000 guards servicing various institutions, while more than 10,000 others are stationed at residences throughout the Kingdom.

None of the private security companies deleted from the ministry’s list could be reached for comment on Monday.

Heng Meng Ho, the executive director of Libra Private Security, said on Monday that his firm had been complying with the ministry’s regulations.

“When the Ministry of Interior requires us to send our staff for training, we oblige. We send them to learn more about the laws,” he said.

Libra, which has been in operation for nearly five years, currently employs some 8,000 security guards.